Payment button limitations

Important: NVP/SOAP is a legacy integration method. We accept new integrations and support existing integrations, but there are newer solutions. If you're starting an integration, we recommend our latest solutions.

Creating a payment button before you log in

If you create a payment button before you log in to your PayPal Business or Premier account (or you do not have a PayPal account), the following limitations apply to the payment button:

• You cannot claim the payments that buyers authorize during checkout. PayPal collects and holds the payments as Unclaimed payments until you sign up for a PayPal account.
• Buyers must have a PayPal account to pay you. Their ability to pay by credit card is disabled until you sign up for a PayPal account.
• PayPal limits the features that you can specify when you create the payment button, such as saving your buttons in your PayPal account.
• Button code exposes your email address and other information about the button, making the button vulnerable to fraudulent charges or tampering.

Note: You cannot create payment buttons without a PayPal account if JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Unclaimed payments

For buttons that you create without a PayPal account, PayPal holds any payments authorized by buyers until you sign up for an account. PayPal identifies these held payments as "unclaimed." PayPal holds your unclaimed payments under the email address that you specify when you create the buttons. Make sure to use the same email address when you sign up for your account. Otherwise, PayPal cannot transfer your unclaimed payments to your PayPal account balance.

In their PayPal accounts, buyers see the unclaimed payments that they made to you in their recent account activity and in their transaction history. Until you finish signing up for your PayPal account, buyers can cancel your unclaimed payments and recover their funds.